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Warm Springs Productions Uses Sachtler for 'Mountain Men'

Crew relies on equipment in rustic conditions April 30, 2013

SHELTON, CONN.— “We use only the best equipment, and only the best tripods to keep the cameras stable,” said Mike Schweizer, equipment manager for Warm Springs Productions, which specializes in outdoor reality television and hunting shows. “That’s why we use Sachtler tripods and heads on all our shoots. They’ve been to the deepest swamps and the snowiest peaks. We trust our tripods to keep a steady shot in -50 degrees, in waist-high water and in torrential downpours.”

For the second season of, “Mountain Men,” which follows men who live in extreme environments, the team will go to northwestern Montana, the Alaskan wilderness north of Fairbanks and the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. For these shoots, the crew will bring two Panasonic HD P2 cameras with Fujinon lenses, a Canon EOS 7D for specialty shots and the FSB 8 fluid head with Speed Lock CF tripod from Sachtler, part of Vitec Videocom.

“We use Sachtler because their products are lightweight, durable and sturdy enough to safely support our production cameras,” says Schweizer. “We spend a lot of time outdoors in extreme environments where we need our equipment to work properly in conditions that can be hazardous to most equipment.”

The camera team has used the Canon 7D with the FSB 8 fluid head/tripod with a slider to capture a shot right above the water line. “It is so nice to use a tripod that we can place in the water and not have to worry about it failing and soaking our camera equipment,” said Schweizer. “Not to mention that we can just pull it out of the water and keep shooting.”

“If the tripods weren’t as lightweight as they are, we wouldn’t be able to carry them with us to remote locations,” said Schweizer, who explains they frequently shoot on places like mountainsides.

The FSB 8 fluid head is designed for payloads from 2.2 to 13.2 pounds (.99kg- 5.98kg) so it deftly handles whichever camera/lens configuration Schweizer chooses. Its Touch & Go side load mechanism with a sliding range of 4.7” and 10-step counterbalance offers even more versatility. The lightweight, two-stage carbon fiber Speed Lock CF tripod is simple and quick to set up—release three clamps and it's ready to go.

The second season is currently shooting using and is slated to begin airing on The History Channel later this year. Warm Springs Productions is based out of Missoula, Mont., and also produces “Making Monsters” on The Travel Channel and “On Your Own Adventure” on The Sportsman Channel using Sachtler equipment.